Now in regard to meat sacrificed to idols: we realize that “all of us have knowledge”; knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. 2 If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if one loves God, one is known by him. 4 So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols: we know that “there is no idol in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth (there are, to be sure, many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and through whom we exist.
In Corinth, much of the meat sold in markets or served at social gatherings came from animals sacrificed in pagan temples. Some Christians, confident in their knowledge that idols were not real gods, saw no problem with eating such meat. Others, particularly converts from paganism, viewed this practice as participation in idolatry, which troubled their consciences.
Paul warns that knowledge without love leads to arrogance, which can harm the faith of others. Love, rooted in humility, fosters the growth and unity of the community. The greatest knowledge without love is worthless (1 Cor. 13:2). Knowledge requires humility because of the limits of human understanding. The wisdom of the world is folly in God’s eyes (1 Cor. 3:18-20). If one loves God, one enters into an intimate, reciprocal relationship where one becomes “known” by God. Such a relationship cannot be comprehended by one’s intellect alone.
Paul affirms that idols, which are human constructs, have no real existence and cannot be compared to the one true God (Deut. 6:4). He acknowledges the existence of many "so-called gods", the false gods and spiritual beings that pagans revered. Paul also acknowledges that in pagan worship, sacrifices are made to demons not to God (1 Cor. 10:20). He states that there is one God, the Father, the source of all creation, for whom all humanity exists, and the one Lord, Jesus Christ, the agent of creation, the means of human existence. This can be considered an important foundation for the development of Trinitarian theology in the Church, though it is not a fully articulated Trinitarian statement.
The development of the Trinity was more fully articulated in the Nicene Creed (Council of Nicaea, 325 AD), which clarified the relationship between the Father and the Son as consubstantial (of the same essence). The inclusion of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead, also fully divine and active in creation and sanctification, was further defined at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. Together, these councils laid the groundwork for the Church’s formal understanding of the Trinity.
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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